Iraqi civilian deaths reach lowest number since 2003

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - The number of Iraqi civilian deaths in January reached the lowest levels since the U.S.-led invasion began in 2003, according to government numbers supplied to CNN.

So far in January, 138 civilians were killed in violence across the country, compared with 238 in December, according to the figures, based on data collected by Iraq's Health, Defense and Interior ministries.

Some 303 civilians were wounded in January, nearly half of the 601 wounded in December, according to the numbers.

Casualty figures have been steadily dropping since the fall of 2007. The U.S. military attributes the decline to several factors: the U.S.-led "surge;" the growth of the Sunni militants that decided to back the United States, or Awakening Councils; and militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's call for his militia to cease fire.